Chargers face newcomer Malone Saturday

Wednesday

Sep 12, 2012 at 3:00 PM

The Chargers are prepping for their Week 3 opponent.

Ryan Czachorski, Sports Editor

The Chargers are turning their attention to one of the new kids on the GLIAC block this week, the Malone Pioneers, after their best effort of the year.
Hillsdale's 38-20 win over Ohio Dominican Saturday was a thorough effort, one that saw them lead 38-0 in the third quarter.
"It's always important to get back on track. I really liked the way we played," said Hillsdale Head Coach Keith Otterbein. "We were really crisp. We jumped on them early, and were able to sustain things."
Otterbein said after their loss to California (Pa.), the team needed to work on kickoff coverage. Ohio Dominican returned the opening kick almost 50 yards, and looked to be threatening early.
But the first play from scrimmage was an interception by Daniel Pittman, and Hillsdale never looked back.
"It was a gut shot," Otterbein said. "When there's something big that goes against you, that can let the whole thing unravel. If you're not mentally prepared, and you haven't really focused, you can get distracted. It showed our kids' emotional investment in the game."
They controlled play from there, holding on to the ball for 40 minutes, and taking advantage of converting third downs.
"A big factor in that time of possession is that you have to score," Otterbein said. "We were able to finish drives. I'd just assume to hang on to the football and get first downs on first down."
The Chargers are now 1-1 on the season, and 1-0 in the GLIAC. They fell out of the AFCA Top 25 poll, but remained at no. 17 in the d2football.com poll released Tuesday morning.
Malone is 0-1 on the year, losing their only game to no. 10 Saginaw Valley State 37-14 Saturday night. The Cardinals played similarly to Hillsdale, taking control early and giving Malone little room to come back.
The Pioneers run a 3-4 defense, unlike many GLIAC teams, and will present some issues for Hillsdale. despite their new status in the conference.
"I think they create some problems on both sides of the ball," Otterbein said. "They're going to have some plays where they make you very committed to stopping the quarterback, stopping the pitch."
Quarterback Will Szpor threw for 161 yards and two scores in the loss, and Steven Niewiedzial had 56 yards rushing on eight carries.
Overall, as the Chargers head further into the GLIAC slate, Otterbein said the season has been going about as well as they could expect — with one exception.
"It's been everything that we want outside of (getting) one yard further against Cal. (Pa.)," he said. "Our kids are locked in."
Malone and Hillsdale square off at 7 p.m. Saturday at Frank "Muddy" Waters Stadium.